Ray & fenella & Fenella

We'll take good care of your home, animals and garden.

About Ray & fenella & Fenella

Who we are

We are enjoying house sitting other people’s houses and pets. Our lives both as homeowners and in international professional travel, as well as travelling for pleasure, all bring a breadth of specific skills and experience. This is highly relevant to you in having every confidence we will care for your home as we have cared for our...

Who we are

We are enjoying house sitting other people’s houses and pets. Our lives both as homeowners and in international professional travel, as well as travelling for pleasure, all bring a breadth of specific skills and experience. This is highly relevant to you in having every confidence we will care for your home as we have cared for our own over the years.

We are active 68 year-olds enjoying a healthy life style, non-smokers, happily married for 24 years. Between us we have Australian, British and Canadian citizenship and have lived in Manitoba, Canada all our married life. Following retirement, Ray completed a master’s degree and it is his studies that bring us to Australia, where he is enrolled in a Research Doctorate (ThD) with the Sydney College of Divinity.

Ray chose Sydney for a variety of reasons, partly because of previous study, but also because of a love for Australia, the culture and way of life. For Fenella, it is the Australian landscape and nature that has already inspired her textile art, and with which she is already engaged.

We have now had 8 housesitting assignments, plus 2 repeats, from Tura Beach on the far south coast of NSW to Arrawarra Headland on the north coast, plus Kyneton in Victoria. In the process, we've cared for a variety of poodles, border collies, dachshunds, terriers, cats, fish, chickens and a horse - in addition to container gardens, newly laid sod, swimming pools and spas.

Why we want to house sit

Over the past twelve years we shared our home with international students, 48 in all from many parts of the world, and found it an engaging and very positive experience. Using AirBnB extensively when travelling has also taught us about living in and sharing other people’s homes. From both sides, we have experienced what it means to value another’s property and care for it impeccably. Equally we have learned the riches of sharing and trusting.

House sitting takes that to another level of experience, of treating property as if it were our own, of living in a community.

Our experience

Ray is the handyman; Fenella is the gardener. We bring the experience of renovating two character homes, also redesigning and creating gardens from almost wasteland.

We bring the experience of sharing our home over 12 years, of knowing the meaning of disciplined routines of cleaning and gardening, of loving a home and maintaining it to a high standard.

We both bring excellent references, good health, resourcefulness and reliability, and a sense of adventure. We have a love for animals and nature.

Fenella brings commitment and the ability to face challenges as well as relate with people from many cultures and backgrounds. She loves community but now seeks a slower pace, beauty that will inspire her work and textile art, and maybe share with people locally.

Ray brings a love for Australia, as well as an ability to communicate and negotiate from his years responsible for consultation between his union and his government department.

We can care for your home as you want it cared for, leaving you free to travel confident that it is in good hands.

Should you wish to discuss the opportunity in more detail, or to find out more about us, we would be happy to call you by phone or by skype.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Reviews (2)

Sylvia - Sunderland, United Kingdom

09 December - 15 January 2018

Ray and Fenella were amazing. Our two rescue cockers seemed to take it in their stride at having a new temporary hoomum and dad. We received email updates with photos as to what the girls had been up to, which we enjoyed thoroughly. Seeing them swimming, walking and relaxing made it easier bein... + More

Ray and Fenella were amazing. Our two rescue cockers seemed to take it in their stride at having a new temporary hoomum and dad. We received email updates with photos as to what the girls had been up to, which we enjoyed thoroughly. Seeing them swimming, walking and relaxing made it easier being away from them. On returning to our house everything was as it should be. We couldn’t be happier with our first experience of using a house/pet sitter and we would happily recommend Trustedhousesitters and Ray & Fenella to anyone in need of this service.

Elaine and Edd

Organised

Reliable

Self-sufficient

Tidy

Pet care

- Less

Paul - Kyneton, Victoria, Australia

16 September - 23 September 2016

Ray and Fenalla spent a week looking after our four fur babies, they did a wonderful job and it meant so much to us to be able to leave our precious pets in the care of this wonderful couple . We came home to four very relaxed animals and given that one of our dogs is a very nervous soul this s... + More

Ray and Fenalla spent a week looking after our four fur babies, they did a wonderful job and it meant so much to us to be able to leave our precious pets in the care of this wonderful couple . We came home to four very relaxed animals and given that one of our dogs is a very nervous soul this showed how caring they are .

We would have no hesitation in having Ray and Fenalla look after our house and pets at any timeagain in the future.

We would highly recommend Ray and Fenella to anyone looking for someone to go on holidaysknowing their house, home and fur-family are in very safe, reliable and loving hands.

Organised

Reliable

Self-sufficient

Tidy

Pet care

Response from Ray & fenella & Fenella

Paul and Heather placed complete trust in us as they went on their vacation, and placed everything they had at our disposal. Their pets were a delight, the dogs excited to go for walks with us, the cats happy to have us spend time with them, cuddling and playing. A key thing they did which was very helpful was enabling us to spend a night with them before they left, giving us a chance to learn what the pets needed, where things were in the house, etc. It made for an easy transition.We have no hesitation in recommending Paul and Heather for any housesitting opportunity they might offer in future, nor would we hesitate in housesitting for them again if the situation should arise at a time we are available.

- Less

View all Reviews (2)

About Ray & fenella & Fenella

Who we are

We are enjoying house sitting other people’s houses and pets. Our lives both as homeowners and in international professional travel, as well as travelling for pleasure, all bring a breadth of specific skills and experience. This is highly relevant to you in having every confidence we will care for your home as we have cared for our own over the years.

We are active 68 year-olds enjoying a healthy life style, non-smokers, happily married for 24 years. Between us we have Australian, British and Canadian citizenship and have lived in Manitoba, Canada all our married life. Following retirement, Ray completed a master’s degree and it is his studies that bring us to Australia, where he is enrolled in a Research Doctorate (ThD) with the Sydney College of Divinity.

Ray chose Sydney for a variety of reasons, partly because of previous study, but also because of a love for Au......

Who we are

We are enjoying house sitting other people’s houses and pets. Our lives both as homeowners and in international professional travel, as well as travelling for pleasure, all bring a breadth of specific skills and experience. This is highly relevant to you in having every confidence we will care for your home as we have cared for our own over the years.

We are active 68 year-olds enjoying a healthy life style, non-smokers, happily married for 24 years. Between us we have Australian, British and Canadian citizenship and have lived in Manitoba, Canada all our married life. Following retirement, Ray completed a master’s degree and it is his studies that bring us to Australia, where he is enrolled in a Research Doctorate (ThD) with the Sydney College of Divinity.

Ray chose Sydney for a variety of reasons, partly because of previous study, but also because of a love for Australia, the culture and way of life. For Fenella, it is the Australian landscape and nature that has already inspired her textile art, and with which she is already engaged.

We have now had 8 housesitting assignments, plus 2 repeats, from Tura Beach on the far south coast of NSW to Arrawarra Headland on the north coast, plus Kyneton in Victoria. In the process, we've cared for a variety of poodles, border collies, dachshunds, terriers, cats, fish, chickens and a horse - in addition to container gardens, newly laid sod, swimming pools and spas.

Why we want to house sit

Over the past twelve years we shared our home with international students, 48 in all from many parts of the world, and found it an engaging and very positive experience. Using AirBnB extensively when travelling has also taught us about living in and sharing other people’s homes. From both sides, we have experienced what it means to value another’s property and care for it impeccably. Equally we have learned the riches of sharing and trusting.

House sitting takes that to another level of experience, of treating property as if it were our own, of living in a community.

Our experience

Ray is the handyman; Fenella is the gardener. We bring the experience of renovating two character homes, also redesigning and creating gardens from almost wasteland.

We bring the experience of sharing our home over 12 years, of knowing the meaning of disciplined routines of cleaning and gardening, of loving a home and maintaining it to a high standard.

We both bring excellent references, good health, resourcefulness and reliability, and a sense of adventure. We have a love for animals and nature.

Fenella brings commitment and the ability to face challenges as well as relate with people from many cultures and backgrounds. She loves community but now seeks a slower pace, beauty that will inspire her work and textile art, and maybe share with people locally.

Ray brings a love for Australia, as well as an ability to communicate and negotiate from his years responsible for consultation between his union and his government department.

We can care for your home as you want it cared for, leaving you free to travel confident that it is in good hands.

Should you wish to discuss the opportunity in more detail, or to find out more about us, we would be happy to call you by phone or by skype.